Frances "Franny" J. Derby recently of Mesa, Arizona passed away on February 27, 2018. A lifelong resident of Keene, New Hampshire, Franny was born on August 11, 1931 to Robert and Emily Nareau. Franny and her brothers Franklin and Francis were the first set of triplets ever born in Keene, New Hampshire. Franny graduated from Keene High School and then started her family. She was married to Kenneth Roland Derby on September 24, 1949. After giving birth to a beautiful baby girl named Deborah, Franny survived through five miscarriages before giving birth to her miracle son, Robert. She was a devoted caregiver to her husband, who had Huntington's Disease. Franny's family was always her first priority. She was always smiling and laughing and didn't have a mean bone in her body. Franny was a friend to all that met her, and she loved to serve spaghetti dinners and play cards afterwards. She was an avid Red Sox fan and insisted on watching as many games as possible.
Franny was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth Derby; her brother, Robert Nareau (Buck), and her youngest sister, Norma Hill.
Franny is survived by her two children, Deborah (Brian) Derby and Robert (Diedre) Derby, as well as seven grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren.
A memorial service for Franny will be held on Saturday, March 3, 2018 at 2:00 pm at Lakeshore Mortuary, 1815 S Dobson Rd., Mesa, AZ. A reception in Franny's honor will be held immediately following services in the Events Room at Lakeshore Mortuary.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please donate in Franny's honor to Operation Smile. Operation Smile provides exceptional surgical care to children all over the world that are suffering from cleft lip or cleft palate. They can be contacted at www.operationsmile.org or 888-249-3797.
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